The Macalope doesn’t understand why it’s so hard for so many pundits to write a reasonable piece about Apple and why its best days may be behind it.

Ah, there’s that word. “May.” For some reason this simple word doesn’t seem to enter into their lexicon. Sadly, there is probably no Word-A-Day calendar so remedial that we can enhance their vocabulary with this three-letter mystery.

But some do know of it. Now, sit back and be prepared to hear a harrowing tale of the unbelievable! Yes, it’s the mysterious case of the Article About Apple’s Doom The Macalope Approves Of!

The Macalope takes on so many very, very silly pieces about Apple that many a casual and lazy observer has concluded he believes the company should be above criticism. Indeed, this is the old strawman about Apple followers being so in the thrall of the company’s patented Reality Distortion Field™ that they rage against anyone who dares suggest the company is anything but flawless.

No. We just rage against your criticism because it’s a laughable rehash of tired arguments we put to bed years ago and you state with utter conviction that it means Apple’s doomed.

This piece by former Apple employee Michael Lopp, on the other hand, the Macalope can live with.

That is to say, you all are. Mythical creatures like the Macalope are, of course, immortal. Sorry about that.

Lopp, like others, is concerned about Scott Forstall’s departure. Unlike others, Lopp’s better at articulating the reason this might be concerning:

…he was the best approximation of Steve Jobs that Apple had left. You came to expect a certain amount of disruption around him because that’s how business was done at Apple - it was well-managed internal warfare. Innovation is not born out out of a committee; innovation is a fight. It’s messy, people die, but when the battle is over, something unimaginably significant has been achieved.

This is probably true. But just because Forstall is gone doesn’t mean the fighting stops. And not all fighting is about innovation. Some of it’s just about being a jerk.

Love him or hate him, Scott Forstall’s departure makes Apple a more stable company, and I wonder if that is how it begins.